Apparatus for extinguishing fires in flow lines



Jan. 15, 1929. 1,699,244

- J. 0. LEWIS APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES IN FLO W LINES Filed Dec. 31, 1926 Patented Jan. 15, 1929.

JAMES O. LEWIS, OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA.

APPARATUS F053. EXTINGUIS HING FIRES IN FLbW LINES.

Application filed December 31, 1926. Serial No. 158,279.

My'invention relates to apparatus for arresting explosions in flow lines and more particularly to apparatus of this character for use in connection with lines through which air under pressure is supplied to oil sands for supplementing natural rock pressure to illcrease the flow of oil to producing wells.

In supplying artificial pressure medium for this purpose it is customary to connect in one of the wells in a group with an air compressor, whereby air is forced into the connected well and from it through the sands to the producing well, the air acting as a mechanical propeller on the liquid petroleum and itself becoming saturated with hydrocarbon components of the petroleum during its flow.

The liquid petroleum is pumped or other wise withdrawn from the producing well and the saturated air treated to recover its hydro carbon content and then reused by being conducted back together with siiflioient atmospheric air to make up the losses to the compressor and thence again through the line to the air well.

It is impossible to recover all of the h drocarbon content from the air, sufiicient 0 such content remaining in the air after the recovery treatment to constitute the air an explosive mixture, which, if ignited from li htning or other causes, will burn in the ine and induce explosions which are destructive to the line and other equipment.

The present invention is directed to imroved means for extinguishing flame in the inc and the object of the resent invention is to supply and control t e supply of fire extinguis ing material to the line when the same may be required.

In accomplishing this object I have provided improved details of structure, the pre ferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a. perspective view of a flow line equip ed with explosion arresters and served with re extinguishing apparatus in accordance with my inventio I Fig. 2 is an enlarged central longitudinal section of one of the explosion arresters, illustrating the fire extinguishing equipment. 7

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail perspective view of one of the arrcster plu disks.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detai perspective forming the end members of the explosion ar- 'ingsecurelycoimectedto View of part of the extinguisher bottle nozz e.

Referring more in detail to the draw- 1ngs:

1 designates a flow line which may connect an air well in the field with a compressor (not shown) and interposed in which at spaced intervals are explosion arresting devices indlcated generally by the numeral 2.

Each of said explosion arresting devices preferably comprises in detail a housing comprising a pair of facin bells 3 and an inter mediate barrel 4, the be ls and the barrel having flanges 5 and 6 for clamping the disks? resting plug, the disks being packed between the bell and barrel flanges by 'gaskets 8 to seal the structure, and the bells and barrel beform a unitary structure by the bolts 9 which extend through alpertures in the bell and barrel flanges and t rough apertures 10 in the plug disks.

The space in the barrel between the disks 7 V is or gravel, forming a reticular plug 10 of such density as to permit flow of air therethrough but retard flame to prevent ignition of the combustible fluid mixture passing from the chamber in one end of the device to the chamber in the other end thereof.

The disks 7 have apertures 11 of suflicient number and size to permit flow of the fluid from the incoming chamber to the plug and from the plug to the outgoing chamber, the combined flow area of the apertures 11 being at least e ual to the cross sectional area of the housing 0 ambers in order to avoid obstruction of the flow.

- At the center of each of the disks 7 is an aperture 12 and extending through said apertures and through the granular material located therebetween is a. cylinder 13 the ends of which project into the respective housing chambers, the end of the cylinder located within the outgoing chamber being closed,- thereby constituting the cylinder a bottle h aving its mouth opening into the intaking chamber.

Located adjacent to the flow line 1 is a container 14 for a fire extinguishing fluid and extending along the line 1 is a manifold conduit 15, connected with the container by a pipe 16 provided with a control valve 17.

Leading from the manifold conduit 15 are branchw 18, each of which extends to and is filled with granular material, such as sand 1 m w oil lllll preterahly threaded into a socliet ill in one ot the explosion arresting device housings. l'iocated irnteriorly of each of said housings is a pipe 20 which extends into the bottle l3 therein and terminates in an open mouth adjacent the closed end ot the bottle. Faun rounding the p. e 530 adjacent its extreme end and lillin .ie annular space hetweenthe h eh I he inner wall ol the hottle is a all I'll. .iusihle material, wherehy lire e);- uishing :l'luid passing troin the container ah the inani'ltold 1.5, branch 18 and is confined within the hose ot the bottle reu ted l roni pa sing into th e housing ler normal conditions. U :hc tl ne to he ecpiipped with plosion arr vices and the lines d with the lire inguishing appara e operation is as follows i J ider normal conditions air-g ns lninture :t'orced tl'iroug'h the line troni the compressor '3 ,uiccessiiuslp through the explosion erices and eventually into the air weil, one from thence through the oil sands to crease production from the producing well. liould the artificial. pressure medium become i nited in the line, the burning fluid will pass rough he line until it enters the intake chamber olf one of the t )lOSIOIl arresting deii'iceist U encounteri k in said. device the flame will be arrested but may continue to hurn within the intake charnher. lrlnless extinguished this flame will eventually generate sullicient heat to destroy the device and hurn hack through the plug and ignite the mixture at the opposite side; hut with the housing equipped with my iin proved apparatus when burning fluid has raised the temperature within the housing to determined degree, the fusible plug in the lease ot the bottle nozzle will melt, thereby freeing the confined fire extinguishing fluid which is under high pressure so that the latter is delivered from the mouth of the bottle nozzle into the intake chamber of the housing Where it smothers the flame and extinguishers the fire, thereby avoiding destruction of the equipment immediately adjacent the arrest-- ing device and preventing repeated explosions :lurthei' along; the line, but limiting the damage to a purely local point.

l l hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters ll twill-l the reticular plug neonatal.-

l lo coinhination with a flow line, houuing in the line, a flame arresting; element in. the housing, a hottle having a mouth openi to said housing, a conduit for fire eating inn; fluid projected into said bottle, and r 1'}- tu ralole seal normally obstructing flow through said hottle about the conduit ln combination with a l'low line, a lions ing in said line homing cross ise tioual greater than that at the line, reticular plug in said housing", forming end chanihers within the housing, a bottle in said plug having its mouth open to the choral at the intalte end. ot the housing, a condor iii-hid through the housin, into the hotl a .l i insihle ineniher sealing, the hottle u each of the housings, a containei or hit tinguishlngl'luid,ainaiutoldconduitconuec with the container, a hranch leading lroin said manifold conduit to each ot said housings, and a rupturahle sealing" element for each o'l: said branches normally ohstructinp; tlow lroni thecontainer to a respective housinu.

l. lu combination with a llow line, a house ing in said line including hell ineuihers loruiing" end chambers, a reticular plug intermediate the hell. members, a bottle ineinher entcnding through said plug, with its closed end located in one at said chanihers and its open end in the other chamber, a conduit terminating; in the closed end at the bottle, and a liusihle nieinloer normally sealing the bottle.

5. In combination with a llow line, a lions ing in said line including hell nieinhers iornn ing end chanihers, reticular plug intermediate the hell nienihers a hottle ineuiher on' and ing through said plug" with its closed end located in one Oil sale chambers and its one i end. in the other chamber, a conduit extending; through the wall of the housing; and into the bottle, and a tusiole packing in the loottle about the conduit, normally ohstructing flow from the conduit to the intake to the housin in testimony whereof I afiiir my signature,

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